The Ultimate Tax Shelters Quiz

Just because you earn a certain amount of money doesn't mean you have to pay taxes on all of it. A tax shelter can help you reduce your taxable income, and keep more of your money. You must, however, make sure you're not breaking the law. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of both legal and illegal tax shelters.

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Question 1 of 15

What is the function of a tax shelter?

A tax shelter is an investment that lowers your taxable income.

A tax shelter is an investment that allows you to lower your taxable income. You might earn $100,000 a year, but with the right shelter you could see to it that you pay taxes on only a certain percentage of that salary.

A tax shelter is a way to avoid paying income tax entirely.

A tax shelter is a loan from the Federal Government that helps you pay your taxes.

Question 2 of 15

Illegal use of a tax shelter is considered what sort of crime?

tax evasion

Tax evasion -- refusing to pay the taxes you legally owe -- is a federal crime punishable by a fine and imprisonment. The abuse of a tax shelter is considered tax evasion.

racketeering

misuse of federal funds

Question 3 of 15

Which federal organization is charged with monitoring the use of tax shelters?

the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) keeps a close eye on the use of tax shelters, and investigates any suspected abuse.

the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Question 4 of 15

Approximately how much money did the illegal use of tax shelters cost the State of California in 2003?

$1.3 million

$1.3 billion

The IRS estimates that in 2003 the State of California was shorted as much as $1.3 billion through the illegal use of tax shelters.

$1.3 trillion

Question 5 of 15

Which of these companies was involved in a $2.5 billion dollar tax scam in 2005?

Enron

KPMG

In 2005 the international accounting firm KPMG was involved in a complex tax evasion scam that cost the U.S. government more than $2.5 billion.

Halliburton

Question 6 of 15

One of the differences between a legal shelter and an illegal one is that legal ones do which of the following?

They generate taxable income.

One of the reason many tax shelters are legal is that they generate income that will eventually be taxed.

They stimulate the economy.

They improve foreign trade relations.

Question 7 of 15

How does purchasing a home help you lower your taxable income?

You may deduct your mortgage insurance costs from your adjusted gross income (AGI).

When you purchase real estate you have the right to deduct some of the mortgage insurance you pay.

You may deduct the price of the house from your annual salary.

You may deduct the cost of purchasing new furniture from your taxable income.

Question 8 of 15

Which of these statements best defines a 403(b) retirement account?

A 403(b) is a retirement account for people earning over $1.2 million per year.

A 403(b) is a retirement account for people earning less than minimum wage.

A 403(b) is a retirement account for employees of certain tax-exempt organizations, and public schools.

A 403(b) is a retirement account available to employees of tax-exempt organizations, such as clergy, and to public schools employees.

Question 9 of 15

What is the purpose of a contribution cap on an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)?

Contribution caps help stimulate the economy.

Contribution caps help control how much you lower your taxable income.

If there were no caps on the amount you could contribute to an IRA, then people would simply dump all their extra money into one, which would drastically reduce their taxable income.

Contribution caps make it easier for the IRS to calculate what you owe them.

Question 10 of 15

How might you use a small business to legally lower your taxable income?

Deduct all business expenses from your income, which will reduce your taxable income.

A small business can be an excellent tax shelter. By diverting funds from your income to run the business, you can reduce your taxable income.

Use the small business accounts to hide some of your earnings.

Use the small business to justify opening a extra IRA.

Question 11 of 15

How do people abuse Roth IRAs?

They invest in an IRA even though they don't intend to retire.

They exceed the IRA contribution cap.

They open businesses whose purpose is simply to contribute to IRAs.

By opening a business that has no purpose but to contribute to a Roth IRA, people can hide money from the IRS.

Question 12 of 15

How much money did the average participant in the Son of Boss scheme have to pay the IRS?

$1 million

The Inflated Partnership Basis Transactions (also known as Son of Boss) scheme that was popular in the 1990s involved inaccurate reporting of business losses. Once caught, the average participant paid the IRS $1 million, but one participant paid over $100 million.

$5 million

$10 million

Question 13 of 15

Approximately how much money did the IRS recover from prosecuting Son of Boss activities?

$30 million

$300 million

$3 billion

In total the IRS was able to collect more than $3 billion dollars from the participants in the Son of Boss scheme.

Question 14 of 15

Which of these statements best describes an offshore tax haven?

A corporation in a foreign country, which allows the owners to avoid paying American taxes.

Sometimes an American company will form a corporation in a foreign country with more favorable tax laws, such as Panama and Belize, to avoid paying American taxes. This is known as an offshore tax haven.

A secret bank account used to launder funds.

An investment in a foreign country's government.

Question 15 of 15

Why are municipal bonds an effective tax shelter?

The interest earned from municipal bonds is not taxable.

The interest earned from municipal bonds, which are investments that help funds local government projects and organizations, is not taxable.

The money spent to purchase a municipal bond is deducted from your income.

All investors in municipal bonds get an automatic 15 percent tax decrease.